Brooke’s Robey Eyes Return Trip to State Meet
Bruins Sophomore Off to Solid Start to Season in 500 Freestyle
WHEELING — The 500 freestyle is the longest event in swimming.
While it will take the most time to finish, if Brooke’s Ethan Robey is participating, members of the audience may want to not take their eyes off the race, because with his speed in the pool, he will be on the final lap before you know it.
After a successful freshman campaign, Robey qualified to the state swim meet last season in the 500 where he placed fifth.
“It was amazing,” Robey said. “States was just an awesome experience. It was a good season.
“There’s not a whole lot to say about it. Everything just went really, really well and smooth. Everybody dropped time and before you know it, it was the end of the season, you’re at state and your trying to figure out how you got there.”
At the Brooke Winter Invitational, he claimed gold in the 500 freestyle where he hit the pad in a staggering time of 5:30.65, 26 seconds faster than second place.
“That race felt pretty good considering we were only in the water one day before this meet,” Robey said. “Before that we’d been off for Christmas, considering only one day of practice before this meet, that felt like a pretty good swim. I really can’t complain.”
While the majority of athletes like to compete in the shorter events, the sophomore feels like that he can show his skills more when the event is longer.
“It seems to me in sports, the longer the event is, the better I do generally. I have a higher endurance than most people.”
It’s true. After the 500, Robey had little time to take a rest as he is also a leg in the 200 freestyle relay for the Bruins, which is the event that normally takes place right after the 500 freestyle.
“Ethan is not only a tremendous swimmer but a tremendous person,” Brooke coach Kelsie Smith said. “He is a natural leader which is something you don’t often see with younger swimmers, but he has embraced that role with us. We use our more experienced swimmers to help our newer swimmers and he has taken on many of the younger swimmers helping them work on some of the finer points in their techniques. He is also dedicated in the classroom and balances many different activities.
“Ethan has worked many years on his own swimming by joining clubs since he was very young. He comes from a swimming family, and they have helped develop his love for the sport.”
The sophomore didn’t always have the longest event in mind when growing up, however.
“When I was younger, I always wanted to swim the breaststroke,” Robey said. “I still do, but what made me go for the 500 with the vigor I do now, is when I saw how well I did in the 500 compared to some other people, I realized that I might be decent at it.”
And just like that, Robey’s sophomore season is already winding down as he looks to finish it off with another trip to Morgantown.
“I like to make it to states again,” Robey said. “I have some time goals for the 500 and the breaststroke that I’ve been working for all season. So far, we’re making decent progress.”
Robey comes from an athletic family that also swam during their prep careers.
“I’m just in a swimming family,” Robey said. “My mother swam and my brother swam. It’s just when you got old enough, you join the swim team and if you liked it, you stuck with it.”
His brother, Jacob, also swam at Brooke, where he currently holds the record for the 100 butterfly.
According to Ethan, while fast in the pool, feels that that record will stay put.
“I’m not really a butterflier, so I think it’s safe,” Robey said with a laugh.
Added Smith: “The one thing that I notice with Ethan is that even though he has had success early in his high school career, he has not lost his drive to get better. Some young swimmers who have success don’t push themselves to get even better, but that has never been the case with Ethan. He regularly works on his own during open swims and is never satisfied. I think that Ethan has a very bright future and I look forward to working with him over the next couple years.”